The Hindu Business Line : AP Govt to get Rs 1,234-cr aid for rural electrification

IMPRESSED with the significant steps initiated by the Andhra Pradesh Government in emphasising and energising the rural areas by rapid electrification for improving the economic conditions, the Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) has agreed to provide finance assistance to the tune of Rs 1,234-crore for the year 2004-05 to take up the improvement works to ensure quality and reliability of power supply.

As part of the financial assistance programme, Rs 260 crore was earmarked for transmission system development, while the remaining funds of Rs 974 crore would be spent for strengthening the distribution system to provide better services to the rural consumers.

Disclosing these details at the annual works programme meeting for REC works for the year 2004-05 held at Vidyut Soudha here on Sunday, the Chairman and Managing Director of Transmission Corporation of Andhra Pradesh Ltd (APTransco), Ms Rachel Chatterjee, said these funds would be utilised for setting up four 400/220 kV sub-stations at Nellore, Chittoor, Mahaboobnagar and Narsaraopet, 46 sub-stations with a capacity of 132/33KV, 244 substations of 33/11 KC capacity and energisation of around 40,000 agricultural pump sets.

The REC has also provisionally accepted to provide loan assistance to the State Government for electrification of 4,135 habitations during the current year covered under interest free new schemes, Ms Chatterjee said.

During the meeting, she brought to the notice of REC authorities about the time-bound programme of high voltage distribution system (HVDS) to all agricultural pump sets in the State in a phased manner to successfully implement the free electricity to farm sector in particular.

Responding to the programme, the REC officials have accepted to finance the proposal as per the programme furnished by the APTransco and distribution companies over a period of three to four years, according to a press release of APTransco.

The programme contemplates erection of over 6.65 lakh single-phase distribution transformers covering about 23 lakh agricultural consumers at an estimated cost of Rs 5,111-crore.

According to AP Transco, the programme of HVDS helps in providing rural lighting supply without restrictions, while ensuring accurate energy auditing for agricultural loads, elimination of theft of energy in general and improvement in supply conditions with better voltages in particular.

The programme also specifically helps in eliminating burning of agricultural motors due to voltage fluctuations and stabilise power supply system , the APTransco release said.

The HVDS programme is expected to pave the way for rapid progress in rural electrification works to improve the quality of services and ultimately expected to help in enhancing the rural economy and bringing about a visible and tangible difference in the quality of life of rural in the near future.

Addressing the meeting, the APTransco chief disclosed that to keep up its promise to provide additional annual subsidy of about Rs 436 crore, the State Government has released the first instalment of monthly subsidy of Rs 56 crore towards `free electricity scheme' one day in advance.

The Government, which has already waived the electricity arrears of farmers to the tune of more than Rs 1,190 crore, would also compensate the Power Utilities by paying this amount to provide relief to the agricultural consumers, Ms Rachel Chatterjee said.

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